Product Features and Details
German Federal Railway (DB) Class 515 537-9 battery-powered railcar with control car
Era IV
- Control car with correctly painted roof area
- Clear view through the detailed passenger compartment and driver's cab
- Separately applied plug-in parts, such as windshield wipers, shunting handles under the buffers, and heating cables
- Finely detailed bogies with separately applied parts
- Headlights and interior lighting switchable via DIP switch
- Z21 driver's cab available
Battery-powered railcars were introduced in Germany even before the First World War. The two-car "Wittfeld" type battery-powered railcar, whose batteries were housed in the distinctive end sections, remained in service until after the Second World War. After 1945, the German Federal Railway began to explore this type of propulsion again. The ETA 176 became known as the "Limburg Cigar," but only eight of these were ever built. From 1953 onwards, the more cost-effective ETA 150, which offered roughly the same performance characteristics, was put into service in large numbers. A total of 232 ETA 150 units (renamed Class 515 in 1968) were built by 1965. In addition, 216 control cars of the ESA 150 type (later Class 815) were also put into service.
